Making up for missed chance, Bellator 91's Jason Fischer plans finish of Rickels

You’d expect someone with a nickname like “The Finisher” to be in the payback business.

And you’d especially expect it against the one person who’s ever kept him from living up to the promise of that nickname.

Jason Fischer (6-1 MMA, 3-1 BFC) on Thursday gets a chance for revenge against David Rickels (12-1 MMA, 6-1 BFC) when the two meet in the semifinals of Bellator’s Season 8 lightweight tournament at Bellator 91. Rickels in November handed Fischer the first loss of his career, a reasonably close unanimous decision at Bellator 82 in Fischer’s home state of Michigan.

Bellator 91 takes place at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

Fischer wasn’t a part of the eight-man tournament field at the start. But an injury to Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy (22-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) knocked him out of the semifinals against Rickels, and guess who was waiting in the wings after a win over Sevak Magakian? You guessed it.

“Dave knows we have unfinished business,” Fischer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “We both knew we’d have a rematch, but we didn’t think it’d be this soon. I’m very excited. That was a very close fight we put on the first time, and it could’ve gone either way – but I didn’t get the nod. I needed to get the finish, and that’s what I’m focused on for this one.”

Fischer said after his win over Magakian, he thought he stood a chance of getting an injury-replacement call to hop in the tournament. So he was ready.

That it’s also an opportunity to avenge the only loss of his career is icing on the cake.

“We knew that ‘Tiger’ Sarnavskiy hurt his hand and he might be in or he might be out,” Fischer said. “But maybe it was going to happen. It’s unfortunate for ‘Tiger,’ but we always had it in the back of our heads that this could happen and we’re ready. I’m very happy that they would put me in the position for this rematch. This is huge, and I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

He could ask for something more, and that would be a win over Rickels and a trip to the tournament finals. But he’ll have to go out and earn that on Thursday.

That’s something he’s prepared to do, and it’s something that has been on his mind since November. He just didn’t know the chance would come so quickly.

“Rickels is the only guy I haven’t finished,” Fischer said. “Dave was a beast, and that was his night for sure. But every day I think about finishing him. Every day that haunts me. I could go out there and I could get caught in 10 seconds, but it’s going to drive me to work my ass off to get that point, at least till that door closes. Once that door closes, all the training and hard work will pay off. I’m guaranteeing that it’s going to be a great fight, and he knows it too. I hope he’s ready, because it’s going to be a battle.

“My prediction? Finish by Jason Fischer. First, second or third round is unknown, but I’m finishing this fight. Getting back to the old. It doesn’t matter how. I’m finishing this fight.”

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